Split
by UltraEgg
Summary: After a group of Emerack are abducted from their home planet for a sinister purpose, the rest of their pack must struggle to survive with depleted numbers... and fight the diabolical creation the intruder left behind. First arc complete!
1. Abduction

**Split**

The sun glowed a tired orange on the distant horizon of planet Glimyr as evening began to wane and dusk began to approach. For most creatures, this was usually the time to hurry back to their nests and burrows before the larger inhabitants emerged to hunt. Others took advantage of their neighbours' absence and used the valuable time to forage in peace. Of course, to try and make use of that brief span of time, one would need to be skilled, strong or (in the absence of either) incredibly lucky. Even on a lush green planet such as Glimyr, life was often terrifyingly short for any creature that dared to let its guard down.

And for the cautious and herbivorous Emerack, luck was almost all they had.

Puck lay flat on his belly in the leaves of a Cimposte bush, staring rigidly forward and relying on his other senses to detect potential predators. His body was constantly in a state of tension, ready to flee further into the forest at the slightest hint of danger. But none came.

After several long minutes passed without any dangerous sights or sounds, Puck began to cautiously inch his way forward, never leaving the thin line of bushes and shrubs. This was the only way his grey-brown fur would fit in with his surroundings and his tail would remain hidden. If Puck was spotted by enemies, there was no real defence strategy but to run. The only weapons the Emerack possessed were a short spike on the end of their tails and some smaller spikes concealed in the fur on their necks. None of these gave much hope of survival to an Emerack in a full-blown battle with predators. In a very likely scenario of running, short fins along their backs might have helped if there was ever a need to swim, but Puck couldn't see any rivers nearby.

That just left instinct and teamwork.

Sneaking a glance to his left, Puck saw his pack-mate Kirett scurrying quickly through some tall glass until he reached a large shrub and froze again. A little way behind him, Puck saw Jacinth doing the same, weaving through dense clumps of grass. Soon the entire pack that had been fully covered by undergrowth had formed a discrete line, with Puck on one end and a larger Emerack called Mallis on the other. The line had reached a clearing in the forest, and all were eyeing the prize they had set out for:

A huge Freyola tree, branches covered in juicy yellow fruit.

The tree was only twenty metres away from the stretched-out group of Emerack, but the clearing was entirely open field with no cover; if the pack wanted to reach their potential meal, they had to

be absolutely certain they were safe. Puck took a few seconds to watch and listen intently before turning his head and nodding towards Kirett. _All is well, _the nod meant. Kirett waited a little longer and then nodded to Jacinth. She paused, and nodded up the line again. The process continued until every creature was positive that the pack was not under any threat. Then the feeding would begin.

As was the natural technique of the Emerack, very few members of the pack approached the tree; the rest stayed alert and listening as a precaution. Out of the pack of twenty-three, eighteen remained stationary while Puck, Jacinth, Mallis and two of the younger pack members went to take the fruit. Once they emerged from their cover, the only difference between life and death for the group of five was the rest of the pack's constant attention to the surroundings.

Still no sign of trouble.

Puck, Jacinth and the others moved at a steady pace across the clearing, trusting the observation of their comrades, yet still anxious to feed. Chances of hostile detection were becoming progressively slim.

They were fifteen metres from the tree.

Ten metres.

Five.

The splinter group spread out in a circle around the tree, and paused for one final time.

Not a whisper disturbed the evening silence.

Precautions over and done with, the ravenous Emerack pounced on the Freyola tree's branches, tearing off its fruit with lightning speed. Puck snatched a few handfuls of food and began to head back to the line of bushes and trees to divide the spoils, mouth watering with anticipation of the coming feast.

Wrrrr.

Puck froze. A few seconds passed.

Wrrrr.

A low humming noise in the distance. Puck turned to look at the others at the tree. They seemed to be just as vexed as he was.

Wrrrr.

That same noise again, louder this time. The Emerack at the tree stared at each other, unsure of what to do. Instincts clashed inside their heads, resolving nothing. Afraid, the younger pack members began to nervously chatter at each other. One member of the outer circle broke away and fled in panic.

Wrrrr.

The agitated pack stared up into the sky, fearing an attack by airborne predators. What came was infinitely more worrisome. The golden-red sky shimmered, like a ripple in a pool of water. Puck and Jacinth noticed it first, dropped the fruit and bolted for the tree line.

In the space of a heartbeat, a shining white craft materialised in mid-air, all but blocking out the evening sun. Dangerous-looking tubes swivelled and aimed at the Emerack in the clearing. A gleaming dart of white energy shot to the ground, knocking Puck off his feet. He came up in a roll and resumed sprinting towards the main group, who were already charging back through the forest. There was no chance of stopping the strange attacker.

Puck glanced over his shoulder, and saw his other three pack-mates struggling to stand up, having been almost directly hit by the energy weapon. Mallis was the first to his feet, and even had the courage (or downright stupidity) to pick up a rock and hurl it at his assailant. It bounced harmlessly off the craft's exterior. The being's only response was to launch a glowing beam of light from a hatch on its underside, centred directly on Mallis. Unseen forces dragged him helplessly into the air until he disappeared inside the ominous craft. The beam then began to target the two young scouts near the tree, unable to resist as the eerie light pulled them inside the craft.

Ahead of Puck, the pack was panicked and disorganised, not knowing whether to run or hide. Overhead, more of the stunning bolts of energy were being fired, splitting the Emerack apart before capturing them with its beam. Nearly blinded by the bright flashes, Puck barely managed to glimpse Kirett rushing alongside him and Jacinth in a jagged line, eyes squinting through the abnormal white light. The three were running deep into the forest, separated from the others by the constant onslaught of energy streaming from their attacker. Unable to see more than a few feet ahead of themselves, all three Emerack plunged through the trees . . .

. . . and into a ditch.

With a yelp, Puck plummeted downwards as his feet left the ground. A moment later he landed face down in mud with a _splat. _Two similar sounds on either side of him announced his friends' arrival as well. None of them made any attempt to rise, not while they knew their assailant was still searching for them. Painfully slowly, the noise of the energy bolts and the shrieks of the captured Emerack passed over them and away, before eventually ceasing altogether. Apparently the mysterious entity had taken enough victims.

The three did not move for several long minutes, until they were positive that the craft would not be returning for them. Gradually Puck raised himself slightly out of the mud, carefully checking his body for wounds. Kirett and Jacinth did likewise, staying low in the ditch. Almost miraculously, none of them appeared to have been injured by the fall or the explosions. They had been lucky, if "lucky" could have described the terrible attack. Puck rose into a standing position and clambered out of the filth, gesturing for his friends to follow. Night had now fallen but, if they hurried, the Emerack could make their way back to the burrows without being located by predators.

Still, it was a long way to travel on an empty stomach.

. . .

_Eyes – Specimens obtained, prototype complete and ready for testing._

_Ears – Begin experimentation as planned. Expecting results within 50 hours._


	2. Implantation

**Chapter Two**

He saw it all again.

The blinding explosions of white light; the endless, breathless running; the petrified faces of friends as they were dragged away to their certain, unimaginable demise.

And above it all, the immense form of their attacker; unyielding, unthinking and unstoppable as it extinguished their lives one by one.

It was coming. It would take them all. Nobody was safe.

With a jolt, Puck snapped to consciousness and lay panting, his body sweaty and tense. Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to his surroundings. He tilted his head slightly to look around. Puck realised he was lying on his back on a thick pile of soft evergreen leaves, underneath a canopy of dirt a few feet off the ground. Sunlight filtered weakly through a couple of small holes in the dirt ceiling to dimly illuminate the small room. In quiet solitude, Puck began to recall the events of the previous evening; of the foraging expedition, the lost food and, of course, the ominous craft.

While Puck's memory of returning to the burrows was hazy, he clearly had managed to evade any further hostile encounters, and that meant Kirett and Jacinth were safe as well. If anyone else of the foraging group had been so lucky remained to be found out, but Puck still felt terribly worn out. He had exerted himself last night, and his body still ached. Besides, he was in no great rush to find out just how many friends and pack-mates had been killed in the violent attack.

Breathing a small sigh, Puck rested his head back on the leaves and shut his eyes again.

But, just as he began to feel his mind slip back into the dreary realm of his subconscious, something hit him.

It was a smooth, aerodynamic object, which had travelled through the air with enough force to sharply sting the exact centre of Puck's forehead, but not enough to do any more damage than slightly bruise his skin. He groaned, and started to sit up slowly. Someone's silhouette was crouching in the burrow's entrance.

"Strange, Kirett. It's not like you to waste a perfectly good acorn."

His friend smiled. "So you're awake, then. Nice sleep?"

"Mmph."

"No rest for the weary. I feel terrible, but there's some pretty important business to be attending to soon."

Puck stretched out and began to stand up slowly. "I can imagine," he yawned. "How long was I asleep for?"

"A good eight hours or so. That's pretty excessive, even for you," Kirett remarked, extending a hand to help him to his feet. "It's good to know that you're not really hurt. It means that I won't have to carry you to the Unition, for one thing."

Puck brushed stray leaves from his fur, reached down for the acorn and flicked it into his mouth. "What's there to discuss? Spring's just begun, so we need to get moving and replenish the food stores as quickly as possible, we need to keep a lookout for if that _thing _ever comes back . . ." He shuddered at the memory. ". . . and we need to get on with life as it comes. Everyone will know that already, because the story will definitely have spread around, so I hardly think the situation warrants a Unition on such short notice."

"Well, some people are of the opinion that, given the circumstances, we should consider finding a new nest, " Kirett said flatly.

Puck almost swallowed the acorn. "Th-that's crazy!" he exclaimed. "Migration won't help, it will just hurt us more! How are we supposed to prepare for a new year if we don't even have a proper home?"

"I know, I know, but I can honestly say I agree with them," Kirett sighed. "We all have every right to be scared of what happened, and we're not in any fit shape to deal with new threats here. Plus, after last night, our numbers have been . . . thinned," he faltered.

Puck felt the dreaded question needling him at the back of his mind. He gave up delaying the inevitable and let it out. "How many of us made it back?" he asked softly.

Kirett opened his mouth, and shut it again. He hesitated for a moment, as if unsure of what to say. After what seemed like forever, Kirett took a breath and, with the smallest of audible moans, told him the answer.

Puck blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"You heard me right," Kirett said. "None. Apart from you, me, and Jacinth, just . . . no-one. We were the only ones who made it back here."

Bit by bit, the shock filtered into Puck's head. It was inconceivable, losing an entire foraging expedition in one night. It was unheard of. It was impossible.

"Twenty . . ." he breathed.

"Careful," Kirett warned him. "You're starting to shake a little bit. Are you okay to walk?"

Puck nodded weakly. "Alright." Kirett said. "We better get going. The others will be waiting for us."

In a dazed state, and half-supported by his friend, Puck trudged towards the hole. _Twenty three Emerack,_ he thought. _Twenty three Emerack and one predator. And we were slaughtered. It couldn't be outfought, outmanoeuvred or outrun. Twenty dead, and three survived because of luck. Utter, dumb luck._

His head was a whirling ball of grief, confusion and, above all else, anger. The creature had come from the sky, and exterminated a full score of pack-mates that Puck had shared his whole life with. Their lives had, in no more than a handful of minutes, been stamped out as if they had never existed. And now the rest of the pack would have to suffer the consequences.

What infuriated Puck the most was how absolutely defenceless the pack was. If the being from the sky returned they could not fight it, and his luck was bound to run out sooner or later. Even if it never came back, the Emerack had already been so badly damaged that they would most likely be overrun by natural carnivores without ever knowing what happened to their pack-mates.

Puck shook all the thoughts from his mind, and cleared his head. While the future seemed grim, the Emerack had only survived for so long because of their tenacity and adaptability. Even when all hope seemed lost, they would cling to life until the bitter end. If they were doomed to be wiped out, they would face the end knowing that they had squeezed all they could out of the world they lived in. But they wouldn't just give up.

With Kirett at his side, Puck stepped out of the burrow and breathed the morning air. A new year had begun, and the pack would see themselves through it, no matter how many obstacles life threw in their way.

. . .

Straining his eyes, Cyfal stared around the enclosure.

The walls and ceiling to his prison were completely white, to the point at which it was impossible to tell where the room ended. Cyfal himself was totally paralyzed; he was unable to move any part of his body other than his eyes. He was fixed by a hard, sleek surface to one wall of the room, limbs uncomfortably stretched across the unnatural material. He was still standing upright, which was a relief, but he couldn't turn his head or clench his fingers.

The claustrophobia-inducing hold on his body did nothing to calm Cyfal's almost hyperactive nerves. He had no idea how much time had passed since he was taken, nor did he have any clue as to the whereabouts of his pack-mates. He ached to move freely, and to be on familiar ground with the others, though as things were, he would feel blessed to ever see any of them again. Frantically Cyfal tried squirming his way out of the alien construct, but he could barely move any part of his body even a few millimetres. His arms and legs were both securely fastened, his tail straightened out on the surface painfully. No matter how much he wriggled his mysterious bonds were uncompromisingly strong.

Almost silently, a partition of the wall directly ahead of Cyfal slid sideways and a shadowy bipedal figure emerged from beyond it. The creature's body was entirely covered by some sort of black exoskeleton, blocking any discernible features from view. The shadow grew larger as the figure drew closer, until it was standing directly in front of the unmoving Emerack. Smoothly, the creature reached out with what Cyfal assumed to be an arm. In its hand (so Cyfal assumed) it held a gleaming spherical object, its centre made of a radiant scarlet substance. It appeared to sparkle slightly in the bright light.

His last registered sense was of a searing hot pain as the sphere was pressed into his outstretched palm . . .

. . .

_Eyes – Specimen #1 implanted with prototype. Release will commence in approximately 900 seconds._

_Ears – Disable psycholectric connection with prototype as soon as release has finished, then monitor Specimen #1's actions closely. If all has gone to plan, report again when a copacious set of results has been obtained._

_Eyes – Understood. Initiating release._


	3. Unition

**Yes, I realise it's been ages since the last chapter, and I don't have an excuse, but I'm going to be much more punctual after this. I've also tried to make this less of a wall of text than the last two chapters, and I hope I succeeded at least partially. Know that I tried.**

**If you have any suggestions for improvements, I'm happy to know them. Positive reviews and constructive criticism always helps! As do threatening messages. Anything to make me upload faster. Without further ado . . **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

". . . So we got back here as quickly as possible." Puck finished.

"We're certain we weren't followed, but if that creature finds us here then we have no chance," Kirett added. "There was nothing we could do to harm it and it knows. It took everyone, and we could well be next."

Puck could tell just how serious the situation was simply by looking at the expressions on the faces of the Emerack. As if all the casualties weren't enough, there was still an invincible predator out there somewhere, and it could well be after them next. A good few of the assembled pack had tears in their eyes; almost entire families had simply disappeared in the night to an uncertain and presumably painful demise.

A restless pack-mate spoke up. "And that's all you know?"

Puck nodded. "All I know," he confirmed.

"Which is amazing, because we managed to stretch it out for more than five minutes," Jacinth quipped from a little distance away.

Puck rolled his eyes. Jacinth always had a witty line for every sentence in Puck's repertoire. While she was generally logical and made decisions wisely, it was near impossible to have a long conversation with her. It wasn't that she was incredibly aggressive or unapproachable, but her words were always just so _acidic._

But at that moment, no-one seemed to notice. The tension was too great for a little sarcastic comment to break. Almost everyone in the pack was present at the Unition except for mothers with children too young to attend, and doubtless they would find out what had been said sooner or later. In Emerack pack society, a Unition was not common; it was rare for there to be more than one in the span of a season, and even then there was a general notice of several days. Puck couldn't remember one being called so abruptly at any earlier time in his life. Of course, they had meetings in between, and a lot of them. But these were usually minor things, never really concerning any more than two or three Emerack. A Unition was when news was shared, plans were made or problems dealt with; in this case, all three.

However, this was not the true focus of the Unition. That would come later, after discussion ended.

The pack had gathered in the usual location: in the shadow of the massive Gorae tree at the very top of their nesting hill. This was a typical kind of location for an Emerack pack to live, as it was easily defensible and provided an uncommonly good view of the surrounding woods that covered the landscape like a great green wave. The burrows were dug into the soft soil at the hill's base, all entrances concealed with bracken and dirt. Each Emerack kept a small cache of food inside his or her burrow so as not to keep all the pack's resources in a single place. After a foraging expedition returned, the fruit and nuts gained would be quickly divided amongst themselves, with special reserves for mothers with eggs or new-borns. The tree's long overhanging branches at its zenith kept the worst of the sun or rain off the convening pack and partially obscured them from aerial predators. A small river a few hundred metres away into the woods provided easily-accessible water and a relaxing paddle for the tired. It was almost a perfect spot for them to be in.

Among the pack's adults, the roles of individuals mostly followed as runners, foragers or fighters. Of course, these terms were completely unofficial; no-one was ever referred to specifically as a fighter or a forager, but they would be known among the pack as those who were agile, had good eyes or simply had violent past experiences. Everyone knew each other's unofficial role, and while it didn't count for much, it made it easier to know who was best to give specific tasks to. The attack yesterday had taken a deadly toll on the foragers and the few fighters and runners who had been present. While they had no "Alpha" as such, the pack generally followed the directions of those who had proven to be the most logical or quick-thinking, or had simply made good decisions in the past.

Mallis had been a good leader. And his brother Cyfal. They would be sorely missed.

Puck, Jacinth and Kirett were all fast and agile enough to be counted as runners(although an instinct nagging at the back of their minds told them that their skill hadn't mattered for anything in the abduction), and three of the few left in the depleted pack of thirty-three. Of them, only twenty were fit to attend the Unition, showing just how strained the remaining adult Emerack were. Arone, Firtale, Yalo, Darrel and Seprai were the last remaining foragers, and were exchanging nervous glances. The fighters Mortai, Hanar, Gwoec, Donaas, Borun, Sephor and Carum were listening in silence. The other two runners, Taeri and Wirax, watched impassively and mostly kept to themselves. That left the three brothers Loran, Letham and Lae, who hadn't yet earned a reputation. Puck could tell by looking in their eyes that they were all terrified by the prospect of having to fight an unkillable monster.

Mortai broke the silence. "Then we obviously need to find somewhere less conspicuous to acquire our food from."

The pack sat in approving silence. Mortai had a talent with words that was rare in a young fighter like him.

"If I may," Arone ventured timidly, "I believe we would be much more liable to survive if we put more distance between us and the monster. If we travelled early in this Spring, we could easily find new nesting grounds and food supplies. There really isn't much need to -"

"We'll be just as dead if it kills us a hundred miles from here," Jacinth interjected. "It just came appeared from the sky and annihilated us. It was abnormal. Godlike," she said. "If it wants to find us, it _will find us._"

Arone didn't seem convinced. "You all said it made a noise before it appeared," he said. "If that's so, then we'll know when it's coming. If we just keep our heads down and keep moving, we'll survive, just like you did."

"But how do you know we'll be able to find a nesting ground?" Jacinth countered. "We're coveting all the food we have already. If we do migrate, and we don't find food, we will starve. It's better to stay here, where we can at least prepare for the monster."

"Or," Kirett suggested, "those who want to leave can leave, while the rest of us stay here."

"No." Puck had been staring into space for a while, and had suddenly straightened up. "The monster killed almost half of the entire pack. If more of us leave now, we're all doomed. We won't stand a chance if we're split again."

A murmur ran around the circle. The choices they were forced to make could ensure life or death for them all.

"I think that's best." All eyes turned to Mortai again. "We can't take the chance of migration just yet. If all that's been said is true, then the monster will still find us if we try and leave. We can only do our best to lick our wounds and keep alive on what food we can find. Objections?" he asked, turning his gaze across the assembly.

No-one spoke up.

"Then it's decided. If there's nothing else to discuss, we will begin the Unition now."

It was time. As one, the circle contracted and tightened, becoming a silent ring of bodies in the shadow of the tree. Staring ahead of himself, with Kirett on his right side and Jacinth on his left, Puck raised his arms to his sides. In perfect unison, everyone else did the same. They reached out with their arms and interlocked fingers with the others standing close by. As they closed their eyes, time slowed to a crawl, and all noise vanished from the world. The only sense left inside Puck was the constant rhythmic pulse of his heartbeat. For precisely ten seconds he did not move an inch. Then the pack opened their mouths and spoke:

**While there is a dawn we will wake,**

**While there is a day we will fight,**

**While there is a night we will run,**

**And our eyes will not lose their sight.**

**When our bodies may be spent,**

**When all the light seems gone,**

**When the dawn fades to black,**

**While there is a life we will still venture on,**

**Dancing in the gaze of the stars.**

The mantra of the Emerack had been spoken. One by one, the pack-mates began to break off from each other. Light and sound gradually began to filter into their minds, until normality was restored.

Still unwilling to speak, each Emerack turned away and parted the Gorae tree's branches. A new day had dawned, and the pack had much to prepare for.

. . .

_**It**'s eyes were filled with curiosity._

_**It** was gazing thoughtfully around the clearing **It** had woken up in. **It **had felt quite bemused at first, contemplating every centimetre of **It's **body for a long while. **It **had been most surprised and entertained by **It**'s tail, and the way how, if mastered, **It** could twist it this way and that with just the right kind of muscle flex. _

_**It **was also fascinated by the glowing crimson light embedded in **Its** right hand._

_But now that **It **was acquainted with **Itself**, another pressing matter was quickly presented, through the medium of a growling stomach._

_**It **frowned. **It **felt empty, somehow. Something had to be found to be consumed by **It**. _

_Searching along the ground, **It** found several abandoned yellow objects in the grass. Picking one up gingerly, **It **noticed it was discarded some time ago; one side was dirty, and a lone fly buzzed around it half-heartedly. Nonetheless, **It **gave it a chew. _

_The taste was so sour, so disgustingly sickly, that **It **tried hard not to retch. The fruit filled **Its **stomach, but not enough. The fruit all around could satisfy **It **if they were all eaten one after the other. _

_But **It **was not satisfied. That would take too long, and would be horrible. There had to be something more convenient to satisfy **Its** hunger._

_**It **saw something out of the corner of **Its** eye. A patch of long grass had moved, and not in the breeze. Creeping forwards, **It **began to hear crackling and chewing sounds just out of sight, hidden from view. Suddenly darting forwards, **It **reached into the grass and grabbed something. The thing was a small furry creature, evidently a rodent. The creature's eyes were small and darting, and its tail long and hairless. What perplexed **It** greatly was how unafraid the catch seemed to be. Although the rodent was wriggling, it made no attempt to scratch or bite. **It **decided to change that._

_Reaching forward with **Its **left hand, **It** snapped the rodent's neck with one twist._

_As the catch stopped struggling, **It **felt a sense of satisfaction. Not from the food gained, which was pitiful, but from the ability to kill with a gesture. The rodent's life was ended so that **It**'s could continue. _

_Sniffing the lifeless body, **It **realised almost immediately that the meat would not be pleasing to the stomach. **It** would undoubtedly feel ill, but at least the meat would fill a hole._

_Meat was most likely an acquired taste._

_. . ._

_Eyes: Peculiar results. Specimen #1's behaviour is rather different than expected._

_Ears: Please continue._

_Eyes: The Specimen has become rather picky about the food he eats. Produce of the Freyola tree does not appear to please him much._

_Ears: Acquire visual samples of Specimen #1 as he becomes reacquainted with his life. It will be most interesting to observe._


	4. Preparation

**Chapter Four**

Puck carefully reached a hand into a bush, picking the tiny red berries from its lower branches. After plucking every edible morsel, he stood up slightly and moved onward to fresher patches. He could easily carry a few dozen of the berries by himself, simply by cupping his hand. It would take hundreds, if not thousands of them to actually cure hunger, even partially. The one thing that the berries did provide was vitamins. Tasteless, but essential, vitamins. Puck idly flicked one into his mouth and clamped his teeth down on it, letting the juices flow over his tongue. For the past two weeks he had eaten little else. His mind yearned for a change in diet, but he grimaced and swallowed the papery fruit all the same.

Every capable adult that wasn't keeping watch over the nesting hill had been spending almost all of their waking hours in the dense forest searching for fruit, every day travelling a bit further. The loss of twenty hungry mouths hadn't helped in the slightest; a dark sense of foreboding had come over the majority of the pack, and the feeling of being overstretched and overworked was growing. The foraging Emerack always moved in a somewhat circular pattern, extending out around the hill while trying not to grow too far apart, but made sure never to come within six miles of the hill. Even at that distance, Arone and his draftee foragers only explored with a heavy fighter presence.

The role system, Puck reflected, was never an incredibly accurate measure of an individual's skill. The common majority of Emerack all had good eyes, strong nerves and a hefty amount of stamina, but were always willing to adapt. Kirett, for example, could run for hours without stopping for a drink, and yet still fight maniacally when he was needed. Excluding perhaps Arone, it was hard to think of anyone in the pack who was absolutely specialised to his or her role.

Puck hesitated for a moment's rest, leaning against a brown tree. He swallowed a few more of the berries in his hand and pondered the pack's situation for a little while.

In past Springs, the Emerack had always been hard-pressed to beat other herbivores to the fleetingly ripe fruit. Save for the Freyola fruit, there was no common method of sustenance except for choking down huge amounts of Springtime berries. Come Summer, creatures from all around would hurry to the fruit trees to take a shot at some of the most appetising fruit they would ever taste. For that reason, carnivores would be excited too.

Snuggling into the cool breeze, Puck looked down at the crisp grass. In Autumn, he could put into practice a trick he had learned. He would stand in a wide open space with lots of leaves around, and point his tail towards the ground. He would start to twirl it around, slowly at first, but steadily becoming faster until the leaves would start to blow around him like a miniature cyclone. He had even briefly considered trying it as a battle technique, but gave up immediately. Leaves weren't exactly a very effective shield. Even if Puck tried it, he would have needed several other people acting in concert with him to make it even slightly impressive. It was still entertaining to attempt in his spare time though, regardless of the inevitable dizziness that followed.

A dewdrop fell from a branch high above and landed on Puck's head, breaking him from his daydream. He shook himself slightly, and headed off in the direction of yet another berry bush. The day would soon be over, and tomorrow he would be doing the same thing, eating the same food, exposed to the same dangers, but he would carry on regardless. Sour, flaky fruit was preferable to death any day.

_While there is a dawn, _Puck thought bitterly.

. . .

_**It **smiled. Life was good._

_**It **had begun to enjoy this reality immensely since **Its **first awakening. **It** was now controlling the movement of its form and figure with an innate masterfulness, and the irksome growling in the stomach could be suppressed through prolonged feeding. After many hours of exploration and experience, **It**'s mind and body would eventually become fatigued, and **It** would have to rest, but that was not a problem._

_As it turned out, many animals lived in sizeable dens, hidden in between shrubs and made to accommodate a large family. The residents were not always present, and **It** was always willing to remove them if they were. On occasion, **It **found strange rock-like objects amid clusters of branches and feathers and fur. When broken, they released a mysterious, runny substance that stained the dirt. **It** had experimented with ingesting the goo and had found it filling, yet bland._

_As far as **It **was concerned, meat was infinitely superior._

_**It**'s taste for meat had started with the fist-sized rodent by the tree whose carcass had nearly made **It **retch. **It **had stayed clear of live prey for a long while afterwards, but after a few days **It **couldn't resist trying again._

_And all of a sudden, meat was perfect._

_**It **no longer felt uneasy about breaking creatures' bodies and consuming their flesh. The sickening feeling that had come after the rodent had vanished, leaving in its place only satisfying fullness. This had prompted **It** to hunt again, this time for much larger catches, and never failed to keep the grumbling innards at bay. **It **had composed **Itself **a steady diet of meat and fruit, and was enjoying meals more than any other time in **Its **life. The flesh was filling and the fruit was refreshing, but only the right kind._

_The right kind._

_**It **bristled at the memory. Only a day ago, **It **had been exploring the seemingly never-ending woods and had spotted a herd of grazing beasts almost a hundred strong. Their hides were thick and hairy, their legs muscled and long, and they had enormous horns protruding from their heads. Intrigued, **It **had wandered closer, only to find that the herd had gathered around a vine, covered with the most delicious, mouth-watering Springtime fruit that **It **had ever laid eyes upon since **Its** awakening._

_And they were eating them._

_They were eating **It**'s fruit._

_Enraged, **It** had leaped from the bushes and charged at the largest of them all, tackling it to the ground. A long strand of fruit vine had snapped from the tree and dangled uselessly from the beast's mouth. The prey had kicked and squirmed, but **It** held onto the thief's neck until the characteristic SNAP sounded. Yet even in its death throes, the powerful beast scored a gash along **It**'s torso, which had bled profusely. Upon witnessing their presumed leader's death, the herd had taken flight. **It**, still full of fury, pursued them through the trees for hours, until **It** finally collapsed. **It** never found the bountiful vine again. _

_No-one would take **It**'s food. No-one. _

_. . ._

_Eyes: Are the pictures transmitting themselves?_

_Ears: Yes. How do you plan on dealing with that wound? It could cause major problems if it becomes infected._

_Eyes: The prototype will take care of it. _

_Ears: I trust that is all that is being told of the prototype._

_Eyes: Affirmative. No changes to Specimen #1's anatomy or metabolism have been made, save for the adjustments to the digestive system as was ordered._

_Ears: Very good. Continue monitoring Specimen #1's activities. Project Magog shall commence when necessary._

_Eyes: Understood. The repercussions on the local food chain will be intriguing to see after the Specimen drove off the native wildebeest. _

_Ears: Indeed._


	5. Saturation

**Chapter Five**

A very weary Puck gazed out gloomily at the downpour through dripping leaves. He had spent six long, lightless hours getting soaked to the bone on a muddy, noiseless hill. He had stopped caring after the first two.

When Puck had recommended that watchful guard should be kept at all times for the flying creature's return, he should have made an exception on such star-forgotten days. Even if the airborne predator decided to come for seconds, it would be nigh impossible to spot on a completely bleak day.

But it could be worse, Puck reminded himself. Life could always throw much worse things at you than rain.

Snow. Snow was worse. Snow did not, in any way, shape or form suit the Emerack metabolism. It would slow your movement, spoil your food and keep your fur damp and freezing long after you had found shelter. It highlighted tracks, ruined camouflage and sometimes made noise in your footsteps.

And it killed. More surely than any other natural force, snow killed.

Puck's very earliest memory was of a winter in his childhood. He was most likely no older than twelve seasons at the time, and was partaking in a last-ditch migration effort. The pack must have had an abysmal scavenging year to attempt a foray outside in such a time. Memories were etched into Puck's mind of hour upon hour spent trudging through almost waist height snow. The hunger pangs he had felt, Puck recalled, were torturous. Every so often a broken Emerack would fold up and collapse suddenly before re-emerging seconds later, shaking violently. On several occasions Puck's body would simply refuse to function and had to be carried by his mother, holding him close and shivering.

It was odd, Puck mused, that he could remember that traumatic experience many years later and yet have no idea of how or when his mother had died. It wasn't from the snow, he was positive, but his memory extended no further. It was just another event that came without warning or reason. Life never ran out of those.

Out of the corner of Puck's eye, a blurred figure emerged from the hill's base and darted upwards and out of sight, all sound muffled by the rain. Puck waited for twenty seconds, staring rigidly ahead. Noise and movement still appeared to be drained from the black-and-white world. For the first time in hours, Puck roused himself and said loudly; "Put the acorn down, Kirett. You're not helping anything."

Sighing, Kirett tossed his cache of missiles aside and sat down. "How're you feeling?"

"Drowned."

"Would a snack help?"

"Please."

Kirett flicked a few berries into his lap. Puck picked them up and chewed them without much enthusiasm. "What do you think the rain's made by?" he asked.

Kirett paused before replying. "The stars spitting on us?" he tried with a tiny smile.

Puck groaned. "That sounds suspiciously like one of Jacinth's ideas."

"Well, I try to keep an open mind," Kirett grinned. "For example, you would usually say that rain follows clouds. How do you know that clouds don't follow rain?"

Puck rolled his eyes from his ever-philosophical friend. They sat in silence for a little while longer.

"How long do you think it'll last, Kirett?"

"Hmm?"

"This ordeal. This crisis. This race against time to buy more of it."

"Years," Kirett answered simply. "I hate to say it, but I don't see our situation improving in my lifetime or yours. All we can do is move on and keep our heads to the ground, and live every day as if it's our last."

_And so it's been for my whole life,_ Puck thought miserably. _Ever struggling, never changing. Regressing rather than advancing. If one of us could ever break the cycle-_

Every muscle in his body became stiff as rock as a terrifying, ululating shriek echoed around the hill from far out in the forest. Without any word needed, Puck and Kirett both leapt up at once and rushed to the side of the Gorae tree and scaled its branches with a practised urgency. Their heads broke the top of the leaves and they peered down at the woods below. They stayed motionless despite the deluge, and kept constant watch as the foraging Emerack returned one by one. Darrel, Yalo, Arone, Seprai, Wirax, Letham, Jacinth.

Firtale did not return.

. . .

_Sniffing the air around it, **It **felt a sense of peace. In the absence of any competition, **It **was alone to feed and renew the hunt later. Perfection._

_. . ._

_Eyes: Do you see the scan results?_

_Ears: Yes. This was unforseen._

_Eyes: Specimen #1's restless behaviour has, incredibly, managed to trigger a prey migration. As these reports transmit themselves, an entire den of voracious stalker-beasts is closing in on one particular location . . ._

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><p><strong>And so there is the calm before the storm. Once again, I'm furious at myself for delaying so long, but I got myself bogged down in end-of-year schoolwork and holiday preparations. I'm hoping to get Number Six done before long, as I don't want my holiday or the story getting in each other's way. As a warning beforehand, the next chapter will certainly contain a fair bit of violence, so you could say that it's about to earn its T rating. Other than that I have nothing else to say, except of course that reviews never go unnoticed and always help me improve. Feel free to hammer this chapter with strongly-worded criticism if you like, I will still read it all.<strong>


	6. Degredation

**Warning! This chapter, unlike the previous five, contains a capacious amount of violence that I haven't quite touched upon until this point. Chapter Six features ripped flesh, spilled blood, and other unpleasant misuses of bodily substances. I had to give this story a T rating for a reason, so if you happen to be offended by the violence within, I would advise you to skip this chapter as soon as the next is uploaded, and also ask you why you came to this archive in the first place.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

The sudden attack by the monsters had left the Emerack stunned. None of them had predicted such extreme violence so swiftly and so early. No trace of Firtale had been found after hours of searching, only adding to the sense of dread each pack mate felt. There had been no footprints, no kicked-up dirt, not a single disturbed leaf within miles of the forager's usual route. Puck had no doubt in his mind that she was dead, but the pack would have to keep looking until undeniable proof of Firtale's demise had been found. It was simply how things were done.

Nor could there be any assumption of Firtale simply losing her way; every Emerack, even the children had a complete mental image of their home ingrained into their heads through repetition and unrivalled attention to detail. It was unheard of for any one of the pack to stray far from the lightly wooded pathways. There was always a possibility, if a minuscule one, but in this case it had been utterly shattered.

Utterly shattered by the scream.

The scream was the signature of the monsters. Just before an attack, the beasts would emit a wailing, echoing shriek that instilled fear in every nerve in the body. As the prey's blood would run cold out of terror and their legs paralysed with shock, the monsters would set upon it as one, and end the hunt before it had even begun. But what was most eerie about Firtale's disappearance was that it had happened in daylight, in Spring. The monsters should have been slumbering, emerging once every week or so to catch a target, before retreating again. And even then, the monsters were by no means perfect in their feeding. Tracks were left, foliage rustled, stray drops of blood left in the soil. And yet Firtale had had no time to run, and her entire body had been taken.

The monsters were on the move, and they were starved.

"It'll be tonight," Jacinth insisted. "They'll all come, all at once, and they'll do it tonight."

Puck sighed, and rested his head on the grassy slope. Lack of sleep had left him feeling as if he were dead, and liable to pass out at a moment's notice. He stared up at the stars in the cloudless night sky and felt oddly at peace. While the world kept moving and tragic events came and passed, the sun, moon and stars were the only consistent factor in the Emerack's lives and were revered for it. Puck shut his tired eyelids and began to recite the sacred mantra in his mind.

_While there is dawn we will wake, while there is a day -_

"What makes you say that?" asked Mortai on Puck's right side. "Something's obviously got them excited, but they only ever attack one at a time, when there's no-one else around."

"When the usual prey starts dwindling they close in on the best catches," objected Jacinth on his left. "We are the best catches. If they overrun us, they could feed for days. Maybe they would even claim our nests for a new den."

"That's a pessimistic way of looking at it. Nothing would dare attack us when we're all gathered together. They will lose interest and move on soon enough. May I remind you that they haven't even been _seen_ yet?"

"They have, but not in the flesh. Anyone who's been keeping guard at night could tell you that they have been watching us. No matter how good their camouflage is, they still aren't perfect. If someone looks closely enough, they can see shadows where there should be no shadows. They grow longer, they make strange patterns, they move without a breeze."

"But if the monsters are just as coordinated as you keep telling me, then wouldn't they realise just how exposed they would be if they attack? We would see them coming, hurl things at them, confuse them, and run. The usual tactics."

"Not if they outnumber us enough. Then they could completely encircle us and not have to worry about a few injuries once they have -"

"Please stop talking," Puck groaned. "I haven't slept for days. You two aren't exactly helping me."

"Then go and snatch a few hours in your burrow," Jacinth said. "We've got enough of us around the hilltop to keep watch."

Puck climbed to his feet and stretched his legs and arms, taking a moment to look around the moonlit nesting hill and beyond. Nocturnal birds softly cooed to each other in the shaded trees, and a few solitary insects chirped a steady rhythm. While still Spring, the air was gradually becoming more humid in the day and dropping to a refreshingly cool temperature at night. The first signs of Summer were beginning to show themselves. Puck let out a yawn, turned to head down to his burrow and paused briefly.

"Would either of you happen to know where Kirett is, by any chance?"

"He went for a drink by the river a while ago, but I think he's back now," Jacinth said. "He'd be willing to fill in for you on guard for a bit if you see him. If you don't, Taeri and Wirax might help if you somehow managed to teach them the concept of favours."

Mortai frowned. Puck smiled, before standing rigid. He was suddenly compelled to approach the hilltop's edge and down at the trees.

Mortai saw his expression. "Puck, what's wrong? Is something the ma-"

"Hush." Puck put a finger to his lips. His eyes didn't waver from the treeline. Squatting quickly, he scooped up a rock and held it tightly in his hands. Jacinth and Mortai were both standing now, and clutched missiles of their own.

The shadows lengthened, and a wave of pure nightmares swarmed forth.

Bathed in the starlight, the creatures' hideous bodies were revealed to the three onlookers. Sturdy yet sleek, the hide of the monsters bulged with sinewy muscle; jet black and underlying crimson hues conveying the appearance of rotten flesh. Claws glinted in the moonlit night as the killers bounded forward on quadrupedal legs. Ugly red eyes stared upwards, and maws of serrated teeth snapped and drooled.

And the scream. The horrible, horrible scream.

The Emerack had only ever heard the screams one at a time, and now almost two dozen were piercing the midnight air. The sense-shattering sound reverberated through the mind, drowning out and destroying all other noises. Puck's feet remained rooted to the ground out of pure shock. In the corner of his eye, he could see Jacinth likewise frozen and shaking uncontrollably, her eyes wide and unblinking.

The monsters were advancing at a constant pace. In seconds they would begin to ascend the hill.

Eyes squeezed shut, Puck tried frantically to conjure an image of everything he had lived through. He had survived so much more before this. That was what the Emerack always did best. He had lived an exhilarating life and he was not about to let it go to waste. Whatever fickle powers governed reality had given him a second chance in surviving the mass slaughter of the foraging party, and he would squeeze all he could out of it.

And Jacinth, and Kirett. His two constant companions for his entire existence had been given a chance too. Puck would not allow any more harm to come to them or the rest of the pack.

With a second resolve, Puck stepped forward, drew his arm back and put all his weight behind throwing the rock. It soared briefly, before being swallowed up by the encroaching shadow at the hill's base.

"Spring," he head Mortai yelling behind him. "_Spring!"_

The last cry had been made. In one fluid motion, all the Emerack on the nesting hill leapt out of their burrows and almost literally threw themselves at the line of killers. The predators reared back, momentarily hesitating at their prey's ferocity.

As was the idea.

Gathering his wits, Puck raced down towards the bottom of the hill to join the melée; he hoped against hope that Jacinth and Mortai were following him. Plunging into the chaos, all Puck could do was flail indiscriminately at the writhing mass of clawed bodies. In one brief moment, he picked an ideal target: a medium-sized creature on the edge of the fray, with a startled look on its face. It seemed stunned for the time being, but its fighting instincts would soon take over and then it would become much more dangerous.

Puck dashed over to it and kicked at its face.

Howling with outrage, the monster came to its senses and lunged back at Puck with its toothy maw open wide. Ducking and rolling out of the way, Puck tore away from the main brawl and ran for his life. If the Emerack could lead the attackers far enough apart, then the following confusion would give them a moment to prepare again. Puck hoped to lose the beast in the dense forest, or outpace it somehow. He was, after all, a runner; if the time was right, he could be incredibly athletic and have the stamina to match.

He was horribly aware that the monster following him was just as good.

Every second that he spent dodging and weaving through the tightly packed trees, Puck could hear the constant angry footfalls of the predator barely metres behind. All he could do was head in the vague direction of the closest river. At least then he could try to swim away. Could the monsters swim? Puck had no idea. All that mattered was that he kept running. Losing his pursuer was proving to be difficult; both species could see well in the dark and were nimble enough to squeeze through gaps or jump over obstacles. Neither of the two could change the distance between them.

Puck was relieved to hear the familiar sound of running water growing louder as he neared the river, but it was a small comfort. He could practically feel the monster breathing on him as he ran. He couldn't risk looking behind himself; if Puck slipped once, it was all over. The river was in sight, but the gap between them would eventually begin to close. Something had to be done to end the chase before Puck's luck ran out.

Instead of risking a swimming race with the monster, Puck suddenly changed tactics and opted to run along the riverbed. Of course, the creature would follow him. To throw the monster off his trail, Puck had to act against his instincts and all rational ideas. So he slowed down until he thought the monster was almost on him, and then bolted for the nearest tree.

_Take it by surprise_,he thought as he leaped up at the tree's trunk and kicked off backwards into the oncoming predator.

Puck's suddenly reversed momentum knocked the monster off its feet. It let out a furious roar as the concealed back spikes of what used to be its prey dug into its face. Herbivore and carnivore tangled together and fell to the ground, both struggling wildly to gain the advantage.

The combat itself only lasted for a few seconds at most, but to Puck the sheer violence and animosity felt as if it spanned days. Grainy dirt kicked up at the creatures as they bit and slashed with every weapon they had. Puck held out as well as he could, kicking and stabbing with his tail at a breakneck pace, but he didn't doubt who the final victor would be. He was outmatched in almost every single way, and was already bleeding from a dozen cuts and aching from as many bruises. Any solid hit that his opponent landed would easily be a deathblow.

A swipe from the monster's front paw smacked him backwards and away, and the eager predator darted forwards to begin the feast even as Puck's body began to fall.

Puck knew he was going to die, and was not ready. And the stars blessed him again.

He fell into the river.

The Emerack felt new energy course through his exhausted body, and he twisted around in the water. Puck's eyes adjusted to the sparkling river at lightning speed. Like an idiot the monster was leaping after him. His legs kicked, his fins straightened, and Puck was moving away again. Cutting through the water with unrivalled swiftness, he easily circled around the monster and jetted back to the riverbank. Puck quickly shook the water from his fur and scrambled up the tallest visible tree. He watched from the top as the bemused predator staggered clumsily from the river, whisking its head back and forth as it hopelessly searched for its lost prey. Puck's camouflage was working well, and he had already blended in with the leaves and branches. From his hiding place, he waited patiently for the hunter to wander off so he could rejoin the pack.

He didn't have to wait long.

An expertly thrown rock skimmed from the night shadows and impacted the back of the monster's head with a meaty _smack_. Its deep growl became a small whine before its legs buckled and it collapsed face-first in the soil. A shape appeared out of the gloom about twenty metres away, casually tossing a second rock in its left hand.

"Well, I wonder who this could possibly be," Puck said sarcastically as he dropped from the tree.

"You know me well," Kirett laughed. He composed himself, and his smile vanished quickly. "You're not too badly hurt, are you?"

Puck examined himself for the first time. Cyan blood oozed slowly from a multitude of scrapes on his legs and arms, dampening his grey-brown fur. Nothing else seemed terribly damaged.

"I'm fine," he concluded. "You?"

"The same," Kirett answered. "I'd hoped to come across you out here. After seeing you, I do feel quite redundant, however. You couldn't have possibly -"

His sentence was never completed, as another hidden creature barrelled into them, knocking them apart.

_Stupid, _Puck screamed inwardly as he jumped to his feet, _you lost track of what you were doing, and now you're paying dearly for it. _Kirett's shouts flooded his ears, and Puck saw the new monster's shining teeth bury themselves time and time again in his friend's body. Kirett was pinned beneath its bulk and totally helpless against its attack. Horrific tearing sounds resounded in the trees as the predator gorged itself on meat and bone.

The appalled Puck trembled as he watched on. _Watched on._

_He is in pain, _his mind spoke to him, _and will be dead in seconds if you do not stop this._

The sounds and smells of the night vanished from the world to be replaced with the void of fury. Roaring out meaningless nothings, Puck sprinted at the carnage and put all of his weight behind a huge barge. The monster was bowled over, and most importantly kept away from Kirett. Puck gave the predator no chance to react, leaping onto its chest and pummelling it relentlessly with fists, feet and teeth. What had once been vengeful counter attacks from the monster became scared thrashing as it failed to shake its prey off. Puck adjusted his balance and, with a final yell of defiance, plunged his tail spike through the monster's stomach.

The predator's anguished shriek, so close to Puck's head, gave him pause for a moment. But then he remembered his mangled friend twitching on the ground in a puddle of his own blood.

He gave the spike a twist.

The darkly satisfied herbivore stepped off the writhing monster and ran to where Kirett lay. His eyes were closed, not tightly, which filled Puck with dread. Hunks of skin and fat had been torn from all parts of his body and bled profusely. Most noticeable was his right leg, which had been mangled and pulverised beyond all recognition. The sight was almost too much for Puck, almost choking at the scene. Cupping his hands, he scooped water from the river and tried tipping it into Kirett's mouth. No reaction was forthcoming.

The hopelessness was crushing. The Emerack fell into stunned silence. _No. There will be a way to change this. _He tried forcing the water into his mouth again, but it pattered uselessly onto the ground. Puck grasped Kirett's wrist and felt for a pulse. In his mind he thought he sensed a heartbeat, and leapt at the idea. At a loss for any way to rouse his friend, Puck splayed Kirett's hands out on the soil, and pressed his palms against them. Fighting to control his breathing, Puck slowed his voice down and settled it almost into a monotone. Feeling the sounds of the world and the smell of the blood drain away, he recited the words.

**While there is a dawn we will wake, while there is a day we will fight . . .**

Kirett did not stir. Puck continued regardless.

**. . . while there is a night we will run, and our eyes will not lose their sight, when -**

A tremor. Puck could feel it, somehow, somewhere.

**When our bodies may be spent, when all the light seems gone, while there is a life we will still venture on . . . **

He put weight on the final sentence.

**. . . dancing in the gaze of the stars.**

Puck was jolted back into consciousness as Kirett's body lurched and he sat upright. Puck scrambled up from the mud and saw his face.

Kirett was breathing quickly, and his bloodshot eyes bored into Puck's head. He simply sat, panting quietly, and never taking his eyes from Puck's own. They both sat in shocked silence for what seemed like an hour, before Kirett's breathing slowed and he slumped on his back, seemingly giving into the pain again. Almost relieved, Puck relaxed his body again and dragged Kirett up by the arm, supporting his almost dead weight gently on his shoulder. He slowly began to walk back into the forest, Kirett in tow, dragging his tail in the grass as he moved.

Behind him somewhere, the monster gave its last breath.

. . .

_Lying on **Its **back, a solitary animal stared at the red sphere in fascination. The hard yet smooth material had been the most personal and persisting element to **It**'s existence since the awakening, and was still glowing hotly, the light rhythmically darkening and re-lighting, like a day compressed into the span of a second. **It** had tried to remove it a few times, but it would not move no matter how hard **It** scratched and pulled. _

_**It **still wasn't quite sure what to make of this life. There were constant factors, like night and day, the ground beneath **Its **feet, the food **It** had to eat to push back the empty feelings, and those offered a sort of comfort. But **It** still didn't feel comfortable with the other things milling around in the world, snuffling in the earth or pelting through the bushes. One or two that **It **had seen even flew through the air. And all of them had to eat. More to the point, the had to eat **It**'s food. _

_So **It** had made them food._

_After a while, they learned to stay away from **It**, and ran when **It** came near. So they weren't completely stupid. Having to chase and catch meals made life more of a challenge, and rather more fun. But the larger creatures were another matter entirely. The cut along **It**'s torso, while only a long red welt now, was testament to that fact. For the most part **It** had stayed clear of them, biding **Its** time. They would be removed in the end, once **It** had had enough time to fully explore this existence. _

_And yet even more disturbing than the food-stealers were the thoughts._

_As was proving to be normal, **It** would expend a great amount of energy journeying, hunting, and then eating in that order, and rest when the day was over. But in the night-light, when **It** let **Its** body go, thoughts would drift into **It**'s mind. Obscure, convoluted and nonsensical thoughts._

_And when the sun rose above the distant hills in the morning, **It** would not recall the ideas and images that **It** had seen in the night-light. All that **It **was left with was a murmuring, an abstract feeling of wrongness that couldn't be shaken off. Despite **It**'s perfect life in this world, something was always there, on the fringe of **Its** senses, and **It** somehow knew the feeling was wrong. Naturally wrong._

_Perplexed, **It **stared into the scarlet light. The truth would come._

_. . ._

_Eyes: The instruments state that both visual feeds are running smoothly through your hub._

_Ears: Yes. The tactics and coordination displayed by the animals is astounding. _

_Eyes: Which is precisely why they were chosen. With innate genetic instinct like that, the subjects will be ideal for adaptation, as already demonstrated on Specimen #1's stomach structure and digestive system._

_Ears: It has been noticed that the Specimen occupies a good deal of his resting time by studying the prototype. Could any harm come of it?_

_Eyes: Not that we know of. Its colour may prove fascinating to animals who are unused to such things, but as you know there is no way for it to be changed._

_Ears: The chemistry and biology that make up the animals' native planet are in the process of being scanned. The order will be given to commence Project Magog once they are complete. Until then, continue to monitor Specimen #1. See if he withstands the test of time._

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><p><em><strong>I honestly, truly did not want to leave it this long, and I'm guilty for it. In response to my own inability to write a chapter of decent length and content quickly enough, I'm going to set myself a challenge. I'll do my best to write a good chapter every fortnight, and see how long I can manage it for. <strong>_

_**In other story-related news, I will be posting images of all the animals present in my story soon enough, including the Emerack, the antlered beasts and the "monsters". Until then . . .**_

_**I'm seriously happy that people take the time to read this, and **insert heartfelt plea for reviews here_. _**Thanks again.**_


	7. Revelation

**Chapter Seven**

Jacinth growled as the monster circled her, stalking through the wavy grass. She felt the keen predator's eyes on her, weighing up her strength and body motions, poised to lunge at a moment's notice. Behind her, Loran and Lae timidly nudged their limp and comatose brother where he lay on the slope. All the others had long since vanished into the woods and far away to pursue singular battles. Only Jacinth and the three brothers had remained to finish off the lingering attackers, which had gone just fine until now.

This newcomer was more muscular and heavy-set than its predecessors, and still retained the same hunter's knowing stride. Its confidence was made all the more clear in how it showed no fear in taking on four Emerack at once. _Three now,_ Jacinth mournfully corrected herself. Pacing excitedly, the monster let loose another trademark scream. It hardly registered in the Emerack's heads. They had heard it too much to care anymore. Loran no longer attempted to shake Letham awake, unlike his brother, who continued to shake and whisper urgently to him. Sometimes the monster would stop circling and move suddenly forward, as if to attack, before stopping and picking up the pace again. It was trying to set them on edge. Jacinth didn't flinch.

Glaring hotly at the creature, Jacinth saw for barely an instant the slightest flicker of ended patience in its eye that betrayed what it was about to do. As a result, she was ready when it jumped with its oversized claws outstretched. She had enough time to duck underneath her attacker before punching upwards, jabbing her fingers into the monster's solar plexus. It was brought crashing to the ground abruptly, wheezing and gasping for air. Jacinth and Loran jumped on it both at once and had at it with tooth and tail.

When the twitching died down, Jacinth hopped off the carcass and took stock of the current pack's situation. Loran was adding a few kicks in the teeth for good measure and the Lae was gazing pitifully at his older sibling's unresponsive face. The hill was bare of life, and no sound was forthcoming from the woods. For now at least, she was safe to catch her breath and wait.

Briefly skimming over the treeline a few hundred metres away, Jacinth's eyes couldn't pick out any movement. She didn't let that deceive her. The shadows could hide more than the most recent attackers. Jacinth remembered the stories she'd been told of titanic carnivores, all hair and fangs and scales, passed down by word of mouth to remind the children to keep in their burrows. As if they needed teaching.

Almost by itself, her tail stopped swaying in the breeze and shot into the air; a sure sign of impending intrusion. Jacinth whipped her head around to examine the shade again. Something was definitely shifting around.

"Hey!" she barked at Lae, who jolted out of his shocked stupor. Jacinth tilted her head in the direction of the disturbance, and stared hard at him until he got to his feet. Loran stepped up to attention from her left side. Three pairs of eyes waited for the blurry shape to emerge.

Into the starlight limped a pair of Emerack, one of whom was supporting the other. The defenders relaxed, but only slightly. "Loran, come and help. Lae . . . watch for others," Jacinth said before taking off for the injured pair. Upon nearing them, she saw Puck straining as he hauled a heavily injured pack-mate across the open field. "What happened?" she asked immediately.

"A vicious one . . . wasn't paying attention . . . Kirett . . .just help me carry him," Puck gasped. Loran and Jacinth both took an arm and heaved. He was surprisingly light, but Puck was clearly not without injuries of his own.

"Were you alright?"

"Took one bad swipe, but I'm not allowed to complain," Puck said darkly. "Who else is still back here?"

"Just the two brothers," Jacinth said quietly and meaningfully. Puck seemed to deflate a little.

"We didn't see or hear anyone else on the way back," he said. "I can only assume that most of the fighting's over. I just need to _sleep_."

Jacinth nodded, and turned back to the hill without a word.

The dawn's first rays of sunshine sliced into the burrow, causing motes of dust to dance and flutter in the new light. Stray leaves rustled around in the cramped tunnels as the morning breeze blew through. Small insects climbed into holes in the soil to hide from bigger insects, and bird calls began to filter inside from above.

Puck groaned aloud as he rolled onto his back and gingerly rubbed the red marks all over his skin. Unbelievably, he still felt winded and pained with every second spent moving. He had no desire beyond that of duty to get up and face the aches all day long. Puck almost hoped that Kirett would sneak in and lob a pine cone at him just to wake him up.

Kirett. That decided it, of course. With an almighty strain Puck lurched to his feet and clenched his jaw. As a member of the pack he was obligated to assist anyone more wounded than himself. And Kirett was most likely not alone.

Puck crawled on his stomach through the surface tunnel and squinted his eyes at the rising sun. Pulling himself out of the tight entrance with his arms, he shook the grit from his fur and headed for the hilltop as quickly as he could on his sore feet. He parted the branches of the Gorae tree and cupped his hands to dig in between a cluster of gnarled roots. Packed together a few inches underneath the dirt was an assortment of relatively fresh Springtime berries, and Puck grabbed a handful, setting aside one for himself. Walking around to the other side of the tree, he spotted the indent in the slope where Kirett's burrow was, and crossed over to it. Looking a few feet down into the hole, Puck could see leaves that should have been brown turned partially green with dried blood. More than a little bit discouraging. Steeling himself for a gory image, Puck slid in.

Kirett was awake with his back to the earth wall, whistling idly to Puck's surprise. He tore his eyes away from Kirett's destroyed leg, and moved closer.

"Morning," Kirett said conversationally. "Feeling refreshed?"

Puck raised an eyebrow. "A little bit," he said. He uncurled his fingers and held the berries out for him. Kirett reached for them, grimacing when he leaned forward slightly. He devoured half of the juiciest ones and left the rest by his side. "How do you feel now?"

"I can stand it so long as I don't look at the leg," Kirett said as he chewed. Puck's eyes inadvertantly strayed back to it, and he flinched. "How are you doing?"

"Can't comment."

"Hm." Kirett finished his mouthful and sighed. "My ears are still ringing," he remarked. "Carnivores can never shut up."

"How is the . . . other leg?" Puck asked hesitantly.

"It doesn't want to do anything. I probably landed on it heavily and numbed it. Stubbed my toe too, when I woke up," he continued. "it took a sizeable hole out of the wall." He pointed vaguely with a finger. "Glad the others are fine, at least."

Puck tilted his head.

"Yes, Jacinth popped in an hour or so ago. Apparently I got hit the worst. Besides Lae."

Puck sensed the upcoming topic. "Can you move your arms and hands easily?"

"Fairly well, I suppose. Not that it'll help me much now," Kirett added suddenly. All the light vanished from his eyes. "I'll never be able to run again. I'd be fortunate if only half of these cuts are already infected. And if they aren't, what difference does it make? Living like this, I'm already dead. Perhaps I could lean on a twig and throw acorns. I hear I'm quite good at that." Kirett laughed bleakly. Puck watched him in quiet sorrow.

"And I feel . . . lucky."

Kirett's words and sudden tone came out of nowhere. After a long pause he went on. "Have you ever thought about the world beyond? A home beside our own, a place of spirits and souls and powers that we've never imagined?" Silence reigned. Kirett laughed again. "Neither did I," he grinned. Then his voice turned cold, and all of his laughter disappeared. "When that monster leapt on me, I was shredded. The pain was hot, excruciating, and I gave in to it. Death would be a release. And then I . . . dreamed." He stopped himself for a minute, as if unsure of how to go on. "I didn't really see things, but I heard them. I felt them. There was nothing else but the darkness."

He looked down at the berry pile, but left them alone. "There were voices talking to me. Or rather, talking _through_ me. The first one was Cyfal." His voice broke for a second. "He wanted help. He was struggling against something else, and he was crying. And the others, too - all of them. The ones that were taken. They were all dying, dying in pain. They were being killed by the second one. And the second one was life."

On its own, Kirett's body shuddered suddenly and violently. "It wasn't even speaking, but I could hear it. It was everything we ever were or ever will be. Not just us, but the entire world. The food we eat, the monsters we fought, the stars that glow above us. And it hurt. It hurt."

Kirett looked for a moment like he was about to break down. "It hated me. It hated us all. It wanted us dead, and it _will see us dead. _When I heard its voice, I was crying too. I wanted nothing more than to be with the rest of the ones who were taken. And then something else came." He stopped for breath. "Your words came. While the thing was tearing at me, you pulled me back."

He looked Puck straight in the eye. "I haven't escaped. This thing is coming for us all, and it won't stop until everything in this world and beyond is dead. It is pure animosity, and no-one else can see it. And it's coming."

Puck was at a loss for things to say. "You were going through trauma," he tried to explain. "You had some sort of deathbed hallucination. Your pain was manifesting itself." he was amazed at how much he was sounding like the normal Kirett. "I'll see if we can take you down to the river for a drink when you feel up to it." Puck turned and knelt down to go back through the tunnel. He left slightly faster than he intended.

"You haven't seen it yet," he heard Kirett shout after him. "But you will soon. This life doesn't love us, and none of us can run from it anymore!"

. . .

_The stomach was starting to growl again. __**It**__ glanced briefly around the hole __**It**__ had acquired. The circle of branches and feathers in the centre were hiding another tiny mound of oval-shaped rocks. They would do for now, but the owners would return eventually. They always did. So rather than stay in the hole, __**It**__ scooped up all of the rocks and pushed them through the top before jumping up after them. __**It**__ arranged them beside the entrance, grabbed one, and smashed it down into another. The goop poured out onto the grass, and __**It**__ lapped it up hungrily. _

_After all of the shells had been broken, __**It**__ sat down to let __**Its **__meal sink down. __**It**__ was surprised at the absence of the home's former owners. They had to be night animals. __**It**__ relished the thought. Night animals were always bigger._

. . .

_Eyes: The food in Specimen #1's immediate surroundings is diminishing. _

_Ears: It shouldn't matter. He should be able to survive and make a home for himself in the area he has cleared out._

_Eyes: Ah. I see the planet is still being scanned and evaluated._

_Ears: Affirmative. The situation remains stable. Project Magog shall soon begin in earnest._

* * *

><p><em><strong>If you look at the story genre again, you'll see I have changed the Adventure category to Spirituality. I thought, given the nature of the past two chapters, it would be more appropriate. But there shall be adventure coming soon, just with heavy spiritual themes attached. <strong>_

_**I'm still clueless as to whether or not the fighting and dialogue in this story are flowing like I hope they do when read. If any of you reading this are more experienced with Spore fiction or just fan fiction in general, I urge you to tell me what you think! You don't need to have a proper account, I'd just like to hear your opinions. Thanks very much for reading this!**_


	8. Departation

**Chapter Eight**

All around him were the voices once again. For the first and probably last time in Puck's life, two Unitions were being held in as many months. Puck was becoming surprised by his own thoughts: _probably last. _Kirett's near-death words had affected him deeply, perhaps more than he knew.

Letham was dead. From what Puck had gathered, he had remained by the hill after the main assault, and the monsters' Alpha leader had jumped him from behind, brutally severing his spinal cord. He was long dead before Jacinth and the others could help him.

Loran had fought well, and had shown tactics and coordination in his first fight. It was agreed that he and Jacinth were responsible for the slaying of the Alpha, cementing Loran's new-found position of a fighter. Lae, on the other hand, had fared poorly. Being the youngest of the trio, he was evidently traumatised by his older brother's gruesome fate. He simply stared vacantly out into empty space and sat with his arms loosely clasped around his legs. If he felt uncomfortable in any way, Lae didn't show it. Puck tried to imagine the sadness inside his head, but couldn't come close to comprehending it. The only real family Puck had ever had, or remembered having, was his mother, and he had hardly known her, in life or in death. In her absence, he had become very attached to his closest friends, and had substituted them for a family. The Emerack shared a unique bond in this way, becoming almost inseparable in the body and mind.

Puck cleared his head and tried to refocus on the Unition. Arone had brought up the issue of a safe nesting home again, this time with a lot more zeal. Puck wondered just how much of the conflict he had seen.

"The predators know where we are," Arone repeated fervently, "they have us alone and underpowered, and they know it. They're clumsy and heartless, but they're not stupid. If they can't outfight us easily, they'll starve us out. We have, how much, possibly a week's worth of food remaining. And precisely how many of them did we kill? Not many, that's for certain. So we know there will be more. If something drove them so close to this nesting hill, then they won't move for a long time. And you can be sure that they won't grow hungry any time soon."

"We'll find a way," Jacinth jumped in. It seemed to Puck that she never grew tired of disputing Arone. "We are fast, aren't we? A group of runners, working together in the daylight, could easily dash into the forest and find some food to bring back. The pack can make do."

Arone regarded her with exasperation. "Just hear me out," he pleaded. "Two of us died just last night!" He winced as Puck glared at him with intent. "_One _of us died last night," he started again, "and another was mortally wounded. How many more can we afford to lose? Five? Ten?" He looked Jacinth straight in the eye. "Another twenty?"

"Hmm," came a noise from the opposite end of the circle. Heads turned to Mortai, who had been brooding in his characteristic way for all of the Unition so far. When he spoke his voice was slow and purposeful. "I think," he said, "that, under the present circumstances, migration is our best option." The words shocked the pack, Arone most of all. Mortai raised his hands hurriedly, as if to halt the sea of anxious faces. "It makes sense," he explained. "We shouldn't depend so heavily on a single nesting location. If we leave quickly and quietly, the predators will probably just calm down and decide to stay here, looking for new prey, while we follow the river to a new location. Beautifully simple."

Jacinth would not be swayed. "That can't be our answer for everything!" she argued. "How long will it be before we can't run anymore?"

Puck twitched involuntarily. _None of us can run from it anymore . . ._

The discussion had already concluded, and Jacinth knew it. Mortai's approval passed for law among the pack, and it hadn't failed so far. Of course, Mortai still had to confirm it all. Just to be proper as usual.

"Then we are agreed? Beginning early tomorrow, the entire pack should begin a march southwards, sticking to the riverbank. Take all the food you can easily carry, and give the young mothers all the assistance they might need. As soon as a defensible nesting ground has been located, opinions on settling will be taken into consideration. Objections?"

Puck wasn't looking up, but he could feel the eyes on him. He made no sound.

"Then it's decided. We will begin the Unition now."

Breathing an internal sigh, he rose to join the spirits of the pack.

Feeling refreshed, Puck crawled into the darkness of Kirett's burrow with just a little reluctance. Preparing for more dream-talk, he called out. "Kirett? Kirett, I was just at the Unition. You need to know what the plans are. Kirett?"

He tilted his head up and tentatively sniffed the air. The smell of dried blood and vomit made him wrinkle his nose. Puck grimaced and kept squirming through the dank tunnel. Rounding a small bend, he came to the true "nest" of the burrow. There Kirett lay, head lolled back, with a small ring of drool around his lip. In his left hand he clutched something tightly even as he lay.

_Death-grip?_

Puck slowed down. "Kirett?" he whispered again.

Suddenly Kirett doubled over and gave a massive cough. He sat gasping and wheezing for several minutes, before he calmed down slightly. Kirett opened his eyes weakly and looked up. He gave a little smile. "Still not dead, I'm afraid."

Puck realized he had been holding his breath, and let it out. "You have to get up now. Things are about to happen."

Kirett staggered clumsily to his feet, clasping the dirt wall for support. His left hand opened, and an acorn fell out and rolled into a corner. Puck went over to him and carefully lifted his arm over his shoulder. He looked back momentarily.

"Kirett, the acorn -"

"Stuff the acorn."

Taken aback, Puck reached down and picked the acorn up anyway. If Kirett cared, he didn't show it.

Together they ambled out of the tunnel in silence.

. . .

**What . . . are you?**

**You have begun. You have already won.**

**Run . . . run . . . **

**You are eternal. You are indestructible.**

**This is . . . wrong . . .**

**You are so powerful, because you are so little. You mean everything, because you mean nothing.**

**It hurts . . . it hurts . . .**

**You are the folly, and the triumph. **

**You are life, most pure, most beautiful.**

**You will swarm over this world, and kill and kill, and you will not stop until there is nothing left to kill.**

**You are the unending cycle.**

**Find . . . the others . . .**

**You are Magog.**

. . .

_**It** leapt to **Its** feet like **It** had been kicked in the head. Whirling around, searching for movement that would betray whatever had invaded **Its **mind, flailing at imaginary enemies all around. Slowly, painfully slowly, **It**'**s **sanity returned. The morning orange sun rose above the distant hills, bathing the glade in a subtle glow. **It** returned to a sitting position, nestled between the corpses of the two fat animals that had dug nest **It** had decided not to sleep in._

_The others . . ._

_Growling irritably at nothing, **It **wandered off looking for something to eat._

_The burning glow of the red gem began to fade again._

_. . ._

_Ears: Explain this infringement of our agreement immediately._

_Eyes: What violation are you referring to?_

_Ears: The unprecedented activity that Specimen #1 underwent not 20 seconds ago . _

_Eyes: The computers are reporting no connections made to the prototype by any external sources. Perhaps it is not a fault of our instruments, but yours._

_Ears: New orders: requesting all datalogs and computer functions to be reported directly through to us. If there is a problem, we will pick it up. And if you are tampering with the specimens or the prototype, you can expect more than a reprimand._

* * *

><p><strong>And that's pretty much the first arc of the story done. If any feedback could be given on potential improvements, or what you might like to see in the next few chapters, I'd be more than happy to know. As usual, thank you for reading!<strong>


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